BLACK GIRLS ROCK! is a company founded by executive producer, businesswoman, celebrity DJ, and former model Beverly Bond.Sydney Scott, "Black Girls Rock! What The Annual Celebration Of Black Magic Looked Like 10 Years Ago". Essence, October 26, 2016 The company hosts an annual award show of the same name that honors and promotes Black women's achievements. BLACK GIRLS ROCK! also has a nonprofit arm Mia Hall, "7 Nonprofits Dedicated to Empowering Young Brown Girls". "NBC News", May 16, 2017 that teaches leadership skills and develops confidence in teenage girls through its annual "BLACK GIRLS LEAD" conference.Michelle Fox, "What it takes for Black girls to become leaders, according to Michelle Obama", CNBC, Aug. 27, 2020.
History
BLACK GIRLS ROCK! was founded by celebrity DJ and model Beverly Bond in 2006. The inaugural BLACK GIRLS ROCK! AWARDS ceremony honored rapper MC Lyte and DJ Jazzy Joyce at powerHouse Arena, an art gallery and powerHouse Books location in DUMBO, Brooklyn. For the second annual BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards the organization honored Missy Elliott, Sylvia Rhone, and DJ Diamond Kuts at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City with actress Regina King as its host. The organization continued to independently produce its annual award show in New York City until 2009. In 2008 Regina King hosted the award show again and in 2009 the award show was co-hosted by Regina King and Tracee Ellis Ross.
In 2010 BLACK GIRLS ROCK! collaborated with BET to bring its annual award ceremony to television. Denise Petski, "Black Girls Rock! Founder Beverly Bond Inks Development Deal With BET". Deadline, March 2021. The award show aired on BET from 2010 through 2019. In 2021, Beverly Bond, launched BGR!TV Networks, which streams original content celebrating Black women and girls including the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Awards. The BGR!TV Networks first program was the BLACK GIRLS ROCK! 15th-anniversary Fundraising Gala which was headlined by Chaka Khan and featured Grammy-nominated artists Alice Smith and Maimouna Youssef, a.k.a. MuMu Fresh; D.C.'s all-woman go-go band Bela Dona; Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Tasha Cobbs Leonard; celebrity DJ Active; and an exclusive collaboration with Chaka Khan and Def Leppard lead guitarist Phil Collen.
In 2019, in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, BLACK GIRLS ROCK! hosted BGR!Fest. The three-day celebration was timed to coincide with International Women's Day, and included a dance party and a weekend of music performances. Eve M. Ferguso, "Inaugural Black Girls Rock Festival Culminates with Marathon Concert". Washington Informer, March 20, 2019. A second BGR!Fest was held in 2020,"Inside Lauryn Hill and Alice Smith's Performance At BGR Fest 2020". Essence. Maria F. Barrios, "Black Girls Rock! Festival returns to the Kennedy Center". Washington Post, March 4, 2020. The Kennedy Center announced that the BGR!FEST will return in March 2022 and BLACK GIRLS ROCK! is currently collaborating with the National Symphony Orchestra to produce another event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
BLACK GIRLS ROCK! also holds an annual BLACK GIRLS LEAD conference for girls and hosts educational STEM programs through its platform Girls Rock Tech!
Award Show Each year, BLACK GIRLS ROCK! celebrants are recognized in categories including, but not limited to, "The Rock Star", "Social Humanitarian", "Who Got Next?", "Living Legend", "Shot Caller", "Trailblazer", "Motivator", "Young, Gifted & Black", "Star Power", "Icon" or "Visionary" award. The program features musical performances by female recording artists in the R&B and Soul music genres. Notable speakers have included Michelle Obama (2015) and Hillary Clinton (2016).
Since its first televised ceremony on Nov 7, 2010,Pendleton, Tonya. (2011). "Beverly Bond Shows, Proves that Black Girls Rock" BLACKAMERICAWEB.COM. Retrieved 2012-11-12. Black Girls Rock! has become an annually televised event on BET and BET Her.Lesley Goldberg. "Beverly Bond Inks New BET Deal for 'Black Girls Rock' Awards (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter, November 18, 2013. That year the ceremony was hosted by actress Nia Long and featured recognitions and musical performances by SWV, Coko, Raven-Symoné, Keke Palmer, Ruby Dee, Teresa Clarke, Marcelite J. Harris, Iyanla Vanzant, Kelly Price, VV Brown, Keyshia Cole, Marsha Ambrosius, Jill Scott, Ledisi, Keri Hilson, Ciara, and Missy Elliott.
The 2013 show garnered over 2.7 million television viewers. Since 2015, the annual ceremony has been produced from Newark's New Jersey Performing Arts Center."In Newark, Michelle Obama declares 'Black Girls Rock!'", NJ.com, March 29, 2015.
The 2019 event was hosted by actress Niecy Nash on August 25, 2019 and aired on September 8, 2019 on BET.
The award show has won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Variety in the Series of Special category three times (2013, 2017, 2019) and been nominated five times.
Honorees
2006 Pioneer Award DJ Jazzy Joyce
Icon Award MC Lyte
2007 Creative Visionary Award Missy Elliott DJ Jazzy Joyce Award DJ Diamond Cuts Corporate Award Sylvia Rhone
2008 Rock Star Award Erykah Badu Monument Award Nicole Paultre-Bell and Valerie Bell Shot Caller Award Bethann Hardison Fashionista Award June Ambrose Living Legend Award Pam Grier Social Humanitarian Award Iman Become Legendary Award April Holmes Soul Sister Award Keyshia Cole
2009 Community Service Award Dr. Mehret Mandefro Fashionista Award Naomi Campbell Who Got Next Award Janelle Monáe Jazzy Joyce DJ Award Spinderella Young, Gifted and Black Award Raven-Symoné Living Legend Award Dr. Sonia Sanchez Shot Caller Award Iyanla Vanzant Rock Star Award Queen Latifah Icon Award Mary J. Blige
2010 Young, Gifted & Black Award Raven-Symoné Visionary Award Missy Elliott Who Got Next? Award Keke Palmer Shot Caller Award Teresa Clarke Living Legend Award Ruby Dee Trailblazer Award Major General Marcelite J. Harris Motivator Award Rev. Dr. Iyanla Vanzant
2011 Young, Black & Gifted Award Tatyana Ali Star Power Award Taraji P. Henson Shot Caller Award Laurel J. Richie Living Legend Award Shirley Caesar Icon Award Angela Davis Trailblazer Awards Imani Walker and Malika Saada Saar
2012 Rock Star Award Alicia Keys Young Gifted and Black Award Janelle Monáe Star Power Award Kerry Washington Living Legend Award Dionne Warwick Inspiration Award Susan L. Taylor Social Humanitarian Award Dr. Hawa Abdi, Dr. Deqo Mohamed and Dr. Amina Mohamed
2013 Rock Star Award Queen Latifah Young, Gifted & Black Award Misty Copeland Star Power Award Venus Williams Living Legend Award Patti LaBelle Social Humanitarian Award Marian Wright Edelman"Girlfriends Reunite at 'Black Girls Rock'!". Ebony, November 4, 2013 Community Activist Award Ameena Matthews
2015 Rock Star Award Erykah Badu Shot Caller Award Ava DuVernay Star Power Award Jada Pinkett Smith Living Legend Award Cicely Tyson Social Humanitarian Award Dr. Helene D. Gayle Change Agent Award Nadia Lopez
2016 Rock Star Celebrant Rihanna Shot Caller Celebrant Shonda Rhimes Young, Gifted and Black Celebrant Amandla Stenberg Star Power Celebrant Danai Gurira Living Legend Celebrant Gladys Knight Community Change Agent Celebrants Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi
2017 Rock Star Celebrant Solange Shot Caller Celebrant Suzanne Shank Social Humanitarian Celebrant Maxine Waters Star Power Celebrant Issa Rae Living Legend Celebrant Roberta Flack Community Change Agent Celebrants Natalie and Derrica Wilson Young Gifted And Black Celebrant Yara Shahidi
2018 Rock Star Celebrant Janet Jackson Star Power Award Mary J Blige Living Legend Award Judith Jamison Black Girl Magic Naomi Campbell Shot Caller Award Lena Waithe Community Change Agent Award Tarana Burke
2019 Icon Award Angela Bassett Star Power Award Regina King Rock Star Award Ciara Young, Gifted & Black Award H.E.R. Shot Caller Award Debra Martin Chase Community Change Agent Award Gwen Carr, Lucy McBath, Geneva Reed-Veal, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, Maria Hamilton, Sybrina Fulton
2018 Book: Black Girls Rock! Owning Our Magic. Rocking Our Truth. In February 2018, Simon & Schuster published Black Girls Rock! Owning Our Magic. Rocking Our Truth. The book was edited by Beverly Bond and features insights from nearly sixty influential Black women, including Michelle Obama, Angela Davis, Shonda Rhimes, Misty Copeland, Yara Shahidi, and Mary J. Blige.Rachel Leah, "Black Girls Rock!: Celebrating the power and magic of black women". Salon, March 24, 2018.
References
External links Black Girls Rock, Inc. Official Website BET Site